Chapter 2

Lily tilted her head, looking up at me with curious eyes.

"Mommy, where are we going?"

I stroked her soft hair gently.

"I'm taking you back to the hospital first. Then Mommy is going to find your father and get back what belongs to you."

Lily suddenly tugged at my sleeve.

"Mommy, I want to come with you."

"I promised Daddy I'd make him a paper star bracelet. I wanted to give it to him when he got back."

Lily opened her tiny palm to reveal a fragile bracelet woven from colorful paper stars.

My heart ached. I couldn't bring myself to say no.

"Alright. We'll go find Daddy together."

---

I found the private room on the pediatrics floor and pushed the door open, holding Lily's hand.

Ramsey Collins and Evelyn Reed were sitting on opposite sides of the hospital bed, reading a picture book to her son.

Warm laughter filled the room.

The moment they saw me, their expressions shifted instantly. They scrambled apart, creating distance between themselves.

The boy on the bed noticed nothing. Instead, his eyes lit up, and he proudly grabbed Ramsey's hand to show off.

"Look, Mrs. Collins! This is my daddy!"

I stood silent in the doorway.

Years ago, when Evelyn was being abused by her ex-husband, she took her young son and hid in my small medical clinic.

At the time, the young boy had a stubborn look on his face.

“He doesn't deserve to be my father!” he cried back then. “Mrs. Collins, are you hiring? I want to make money so I can buy my mommy a new husband who will make us happy!”

My heart melted for him. I took them in without hesitation.

I even paid for a top lawyer out of my own pocket so Evelyn could win full custody during her divorce.

Later, when I found out that Evelyn and Ramsey had been childhood sweethearts, I paid it no mind.

Everyone had a past.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I was the one who personally repaired the broken bond between them.

Beside me, Lily stared in utter confusion, pointing her small finger at Ramsey.

"But... he's my daddy. Look, I made a star bracelet for my daddy."

Lily carefully pulled out the paper bracelet and held it out to Ramsey like a precious treasure.

Ramsey frowned, but he didn't reach out to take it.

The silence in the room stretched until the boy broke into a cruel laugh.

"You're a liar! My daddy doesn't want your ugly bracelet!"

He pulled out the carved jade pendant hanging around his neck, flaunting it in her face.

"Daddy gave me this gift! It's a hundred times more expensive than your stupid paper!"

Lily's small brows knit together tight.

"I'm not a liar! Mommy showed me photos of this jade charm before. Mommy prayed on it for me! It's mine, and you need to give it back!"

The boy's face flushed with anger, his voice rising sharply.

"I won't! Daddy gave it to me! You don't even have a daddy! You're just trying to steal my daddy's present!"

The heart monitor beside the bed suddenly beeped erratically, warning of a dangerous spike in pulse rate.

Ramsey Collins's face darkened instantly.

He grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged both of us out into the hallway.

The paper star bracelet slipped from her tiny fingers and hit the floor.

"Daddy! My bracelet! My bracelet dropped!" Lily cried out.

Ramsey didn't slow down. He dragged us all the way to the end of the corridor before letting go.

He turned to glare at me, his eyes cold with blame.

"Clara, Noah is about to undergo a high-risk surgery. He cannot get agitated right now! What kind of madness drove you to bring our daughter here to cause a scene?"

"Evelyn is your best friend. What is the harm in letting her sick child borrow the pendant for a little while?"

I yanked my arm away and let out a cold laugh.

"Best friend? A woman who stole my husband isn't a friend."

A tremor passed through Ramsey's expression, but he quickly masked the brief flash of guilt.

"You saw the post?"

"Yes, I did. Years ago, when Noah fell gravely ill, his only dream was to have a father again."

"Are you saying we should have let a dying child's last wish go unfulfilled?"

I let out a bitter smile.

"Lily is sick too! She's been waiting for you to be her father for seven long years!"

Ramsey frowned deeper.

"Clara, stop acting so childish. It's not the same thing."

Of course it wasn't the same.

Because the only child he truly cared about was Evelyn's son.

A sharp, stabbing pain rushed through my chest. I couldn't bear to argue with him anymore.

"Give the jade pendant back to Lily. As for the last seven years... I'll just consider that I wasted those years on a dog."

Ramsey's eyes narrowed in disapproval.

"Clara, don't say such vile things. Once Noah's condition stabilizes, I will officially marry you."

"Save it. I'm not marrying you anymore. I just want that pendant back."

I turned to walk away.

Suddenly, Evelyn rushed out of the room, tears streaming down her face.

She threw herself onto her knees right in front of me.

"Clara, it's all my fault! I was the one who begged Ramsey to sign the papers with me! I just wanted Noah to feel happy!

"Noah is going into surgery right now. He can't handle any stress. Please, let me buy this jade charm from you!"

She fumbled through her purse and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills, offering them up with trembling hands.

Ramsey immediately hurried over, gently lifting her off the floor before turning an angry glare toward me.

"Clara, you're a mother too! How can you be so heartless?"

The sheer absurdity of his words made me laugh out loud. I pulled up my right sleeve, revealing a long, jagged scar running down my forearm.

"Heartless? Have you forgotten how I got this scar?"

The night Evelyn's violent ex-husband stormed my clinic, I blocked his blade with my bare arm to save her and her son.

It took sixteen stitches to sew me back together.

A flicker of guilt finally washed over Ramsey's eyes, and he opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could utter a word, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from inside the hospital room.

My heart stopped.

Lily, who had been standing beside me just seconds ago, was gone.